Taiwan kicks out Chinese media

Despite appearances, Riding Sun hasn't turned into a Taiwan- and China-focused blog. But there's a lot of new developments in cross-strait relations these days, and it all bears on Japan's position in Asia.

I posted yesterday about how some Taiwanese politicians are realizing their security interests are best served by turning away from China and aligning with Japan. Today, Taiwan has gone a step further, telling two major Chinese news agencies that their reporters are no longer welcome there. ETtoday.com reports:

Two Chinese media organizations will no longer be allowed to station their staff in Taiwan. This new announcement came from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) which concluded that the news — as presented by the Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily newspaper — is not conducive to the enhancement of understanding between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Four years ago, a journalism "exchange program" led to certain Chinese news organizations stationing reporters in Taiwan. But with China escalating its threats against Taiwan, which it views as a renegade province destined for assimilation, that no longer strikes some Taiwanese as a good idea:

"It was China’s enactment of its anti-secession law that made us realize that perhaps it’s time to re-examine cross-strait interactions," said MAC Chairman Joseph Wu.

..."I think this decision comes a little too late. They should have done it on March 14th, when the Chinese first enacted the anti-secession law. But better late than never," said Vice President Annette Lu.

Taiwan's move would still leave three other Chinese news agencies operating there. But it's especially gratifying to see someone point up China's practice of censoring and fabricating the news, while demanding absolute fidelity to the historical record in Japan's school textbooks.

Anyone want to guess how long it will be before China condemns Taiwan's actions as an unacceptable interference in its "internal affairs"?